Memory cards are known in the art and contain intelligence in the form of a memory circuit or other electronic program. Some form of card reader reads the information or memory stored on the card. Memory cards are used in many applications in today's electronic society, including video cameras, smartphones, music players, ATMs, cable television decoders, toys games, PC adapters and other electronic applications. A typical memory card includes a contact or terminal array for connection through an electrical connector to a card reader system and then to external equipment. The connector readily accommodates insertion and removal of the card to provide quick access to the information and program on the card. The card connector includes terminals for yieldably engaging the contact or terminal array of the card.
Some card connectors include a card ejection mechanism whereby the memory card is simply inserted into the connector, and the ejection mechanism is used to facilitate removal of the card from the connector. Some ejection mechanisms include sliders which engage the memory card for movement therewith into and out of the connector. Still further, some card connectors include mechanisms for preventing erroneous insertion of the card when the card is inserted in an upside-down orientation or reversed in a front-to-rear direction or for preventing forcible removal of the card even if the card is properly oriented. An example of this type of connector is shown in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-118633 which discloses a card connector including a slider engageable with the card for movement therewith within a card-receiving cavity when the card is correctly inserted. However, if the card is inserted in a wrong orientation or the card is forcibly removed, the slider is forced into a slanting orientation against one side wall of the connector housing and the side wall may be deformed or even broken. The present invention is directed to solving these problems in such a card connector, by providing means to protect the connector housing in the event of an erroneous card insertion or in the event of forcible removal of the card.